WORKFLOW BOTTLENECKon Comic approval process

PRE-EDITING

Production material acquiring• No copy to work on

• Need original book as material to be translated.• Working copy can be purchased from book stores.

• Non-procedural way.• Additional cost.• Can’t be done on old or out-of-print books.

• Working copy sent by licensor.• Procedural way.

• Sent after contract agreement.

• Took time for shipment.• Sometimes licensor are very late in shipping.

Production material acquiring• No stock of materials to work on

• Slow licensing process from licensor.• Some publishers have strict schedule for license request.• No new titles to be worked on.

• New title licensing took more time.

• Avoidance of titles with lots of modification• Avoiding bottleneck in approval process.• Most titles has parts that needed modification to be published in

Indonesia.

Translation process• Pre-translation

• Working copy is photocopied to be sent to translator.• Tight deadline: long queue of books to be photocopied.

• Translation• Limited number of translator

• Quality issue• Time needed to edit the translation caused editors to prefer experienced

translators.• Training translators had be done by editors who’s already having other work

load.

• Time issue• Quantity of translations per translator adds up time needed to get result.

• Discipline• Some translators are difficult to contact.• Part-time freelance translators had time issue.

• Freelance: cheaper cost.

EDITING

Editing load• High monthly target

• 8 titles published per editor = 8 titles edited

• Editing speed versus load• Per book editing time average: 2 days

• 8 books = 8 x 2 days = 16 days.• Monthly work day average = 22 days.

• 6 days for other processes (proof editing).

• Difficult titles needed more time.

• Per book proof editing time average: 0.5~1 day• 8 books = 8 x 0.75 days = 6 days.• Proof number target = 3.

• 3 x 6 days = 18 days.

• Editors will most likely need to do jobs outside work hour to meet the target.

• Result: long time and abundance of errors.

POST EDITING

Approval process• Licensed books needed approval process to be published• Materials needing approval

• Cover design• Logo and picture editing.

• Copyright statement• Name and years.

• Modified pictures• Need to be done to conform to local ethic standard.• Main market are juveniles even for titles originally targeted to more

mature market.

Approval process• Slow approval process

• Needed approval check from licensor side• Picture modification needed approval from author.

• Response are slow• Standard: 5 work days.• Reality: sometimes involve repeated confirmation request without any

response.

SUGGESTIONS

Suggestion• Stockpiling materials

• Copy & translations• Limited time to request.• Contract expiration.• Limited number of qualified translators.

• Edited materials• Having more materials ready.• Need tighter scheduling that can be met.

• Too much external factors.• No warranty on translation and material acquiring.

• Current high workload doesn’t leave much room.

• Approvals• Sending cover and modification ahead.

Suggestion• Reducing of workload

• Aggressive outsourcing of editing• Cost associated with freelance editors.• Difficulties to accept reducing of work load for current staffs.

• Rethinking of target number (highly unlikely)• Problem: target will always go up.

• Target are based on estimates and previous year’s target.• Realization is always lower.

• No lowering/correction of target based on realization.

• Related to corporate finance planning.• Plans established two years ahead.